Posted by Becky
Leif had a meeting with his main oncologist today, and we now have a plan for the next steps of his treatment.
Next week, Leif will be getting "light" inpatient chemotherapy at Midcoast from Tuesday through Thursday. The regimen he's getting is nicknamed RICE, for the four chemo drugs he'll be getting; his old friend rituximab, plus ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide. They are planning to give Leif the rituximab last, so they can give it as slowly as necessary and not interfere with dosing the other three drugs. The regimen is intended to be gentler than the regimens he's received so far; its goal is to keep the lymphoma in remission while his abscess heals and he recovers fully from the pneumonia.
Depending on how well he heals up and how he's looking, 3 weeks later (October 9) he will either get one more course of RICE, to give him additional time to get strong, or the doctors will decide that he's in shape enough to move forward with the high dose, aggressive chemotherapy regimen, called High Ara-C, that begins the "chemo mobilization" process (prior to stem cell collection) described in my Dartmouth Visit post. At that point, he'll have re-entered the standard treatment flowchart for autologous stem cell transplantation.
As far as how Leif's doing now - he's been out and about all day today, except for a nap, and did some work installing light fixtures in the house. He's sore in the backside, but otherwise seems to be feeling okay. He's back up to 170 lbs and is continuing to put on weight, under the theory that it won't hurt to have a few extra pounds stored up before he gets more chemotherapy. His moustache is growing back in rather thickly, and is quite noticeably gray! Not a lot of hair or beard to speak of, so he's heading for a Monopoly Guy look. Quite distinguished.
Our plans for the fall are, roughly, as follows:
So, Belfast friends, please keep your ears out for a winter rental, in an in-town place that is dry (not damp/moldy, no basement apartments), easy to clean, no wood heat, warm, and otherwise seems suitable for an immune-compromised person. Leif thinks that an upstairs apartment would be fine, as long as the bathroom is on the same floor as the bedroom. Currently I estimate we'll be ready to move in sometime in November at the earliest, or more likely around the first of December. We'll be renting for at least 6 months, maybe more depending on the state of Leif's health next spring.
Leif had a meeting with his main oncologist today, and we now have a plan for the next steps of his treatment.
Next week, Leif will be getting "light" inpatient chemotherapy at Midcoast from Tuesday through Thursday. The regimen he's getting is nicknamed RICE, for the four chemo drugs he'll be getting; his old friend rituximab, plus ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide. They are planning to give Leif the rituximab last, so they can give it as slowly as necessary and not interfere with dosing the other three drugs. The regimen is intended to be gentler than the regimens he's received so far; its goal is to keep the lymphoma in remission while his abscess heals and he recovers fully from the pneumonia.
Depending on how well he heals up and how he's looking, 3 weeks later (October 9) he will either get one more course of RICE, to give him additional time to get strong, or the doctors will decide that he's in shape enough to move forward with the high dose, aggressive chemotherapy regimen, called High Ara-C, that begins the "chemo mobilization" process (prior to stem cell collection) described in my Dartmouth Visit post. At that point, he'll have re-entered the standard treatment flowchart for autologous stem cell transplantation.
As far as how Leif's doing now - he's been out and about all day today, except for a nap, and did some work installing light fixtures in the house. He's sore in the backside, but otherwise seems to be feeling okay. He's back up to 170 lbs and is continuing to put on weight, under the theory that it won't hurt to have a few extra pounds stored up before he gets more chemotherapy. His moustache is growing back in rather thickly, and is quite noticeably gray! Not a lot of hair or beard to speak of, so he's heading for a Monopoly Guy look. Quite distinguished.
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| Leif does not ordinarily wear a top hat or bow tie, but if he did, he'd look rather like this. |
- RICE chemo regimen in Midcoast next week
- Recovery period at home in Brooks
- October 9: either another session of RICE chemo at Midcoast and then a High-Ara-C chemo session 3 weeks later, or immediate High Ara-C (whether at Midcoast or Dartmouth, I'm not completely sure yet; I've gotten mixed messages about this)
- Move temporarily to Dartmouth for stem cell transplant (approximately 4-9 weeks total?)
- When Leif is well enough, return home and move into an in-town apartment.
So, Belfast friends, please keep your ears out for a winter rental, in an in-town place that is dry (not damp/moldy, no basement apartments), easy to clean, no wood heat, warm, and otherwise seems suitable for an immune-compromised person. Leif thinks that an upstairs apartment would be fine, as long as the bathroom is on the same floor as the bedroom. Currently I estimate we'll be ready to move in sometime in November at the earliest, or more likely around the first of December. We'll be renting for at least 6 months, maybe more depending on the state of Leif's health next spring.
Thanks for posting plans Becky -- whew! It's good to know where you're headed and I'll continue hoping for the best possible outcome for Leif, and keep my ears open for a great apartment in town. hugs.
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